I Hate Doing These Posts...

...mostly because I hate admitting that I've been a horrid, inconsistent blogger. I'm so sorry, y'all. On that note, it's roundup time!

I promised I would recap Country Thunder for you, and I have to say, it was a super fun weekend. Two of my friends and I drove up each day which was not as bad as it sounds, plus I got to use my own shower each night. Huge plus.

{First day with one of my Poms teammates!}

{Riding the bull on Day One!!}

{Day Two with another teammate!}

{Day Three}

The performers were awesome. Keith Urban rocked it out on the first night, and Brad Paisley was a huge hit. But my favorite was definitely Jake Owen on Sunday night to wrap it up. 

Next highlight of the last few weeks was the Poms Barbecue. It was weird with it being the first of many "lasts" this year, but I had so much fun with my friends regardless!

 {SENIORS!}

 {My best friend and fellow captain}

 {Most of Varsity}

{The Five Best Friends}

{With 4 of our 5 wonderful new baby sophs}

This last weekend, Mama, Little Sis, and I took an impromptu trip up to Saugatuck, Michigan, complete with horseback riding, ice cream from Kilwin's, and stand-up paddleboarding! By the way, I'm obsessed with paddleboarding–so much fun and a killer workout.

{On the pier}

{Horseback riding!}

On the college front, my applications to both Alabama (ROLLLL TIDE) and LSU have been completed, and my Common App is just about done, so three cheers for being ahead of the game!

Last big announcement, the new and improved Smart Girls Group relaunches September 1st! Mark your calendars, ladies, because we have an awesome new issue of the Guide coming out as well as a new and improved Loop! Everything is going to be bigger and better and we are so happy to see our sisterhood grow.

XO

Back to School Musings

Firstly, my sincere apologies for my little disappearance this past week. I took off a little time from blogging just to get back in the swing of things, but I'm back! My first week (well, week and a half, really) of school has been great. I especially love my Broadcasting and Latin American History classes, and I love the way my schedule worked out, with my lighter classes (Latin American History, Broadcasting, and PreCalc) in the morning, followed by Lunch and P.E., and then my hardest classes (Spanish, English, and Chem/Phys) in the afternoon. Having Lunch and P.E. together is such a great break in the middle of the day, and it leaves me totally energized for the rest of the day.

The first home football game was fantastic! My school won against the odds, and my team danced a great halftime show, if I do say so myself. I'm so happy and excited for the upcoming season. Last Friday, I also went with some friends to an away game at a school half an hour away, which was a ton of fun. We ended up losing, but the atmosphere in the student section was great and we had a good time anyway.

And now, the real reason I started this post. Yesterday, as I was doing my homework, "Four Years" by Jon McLaughlin came on my Pandora station.

If you've never heard the song, it's so worth a listen, especially if you're still in high school.

He talks about how high school is really just four short years of your life, saying not to worry too much about it, but rather to enjoy it. Last year, as a freshman, my year was really hard. It was the first time I was really challenged academically, especially in Science, which I learned is so not my subject. I took five honors classes, two electives, only had half a lunch period, had poms practices for two hours a day after school, plus four dance classes a week, and seemingly endless amounts of homework on top of it all. I'm not gonna lie, I was totally miserable. I was aiming for New York University and the Ivy Leagues for the prestige I knew they possessed, without really knowing much about the schools themselves and what they could offer me. 

(Coates Hall at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, one of my new top three prospective schools. It offers a great mass communications and broadcast journalism program, a fantastic dance team and athletics, and warm weather year round.)

It wasn't until this summer that I really sat down and thought long and hard about what I really wanted to do with my life. I wrote down a list of what I really wanted in a college (a good dance team, strong athletics and academics, and warm weather) in addition to academics, and came up with a whole new list of schools, that I really do believe I can do well at, and realistically get into without being miserable in the process. And when it came time to register for my classes, I was able to go in with a clear head and a much clearer idea of what I wanted, both now and in the future.

I've set some new goals, that are a bit more realistic than my old ones (making a living solely as a dancer is near impossible!). I'd like to be a sports reporter or talk show host, that bit is currently undecided.

Erin Andrews of ESPN

I'd also like to keep dance a part of my life, and dance for an NBA or NFL dance team.

 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Knicks City Dancers

XO

North Shore Prep